Kennedy defeats West Islip for L.I. crown

On the way to helping lead Kennedy softball’s program to its first-ever Nassau County championship, senior pitcher Lia Fong allowed a total of 10 runs in six playoff games.

So when she took the circle in the bottom of the first inning of Friday’s Long Island Class AA title game against West Islip with a four-run cushion, the “pressure was off,” she said.

Fong struck out the side in the bottom of the first and fanned 14 as the Cougars continued their historic season with a convincing 10-1 victory over West Islip at Martha Avenue Recreation Park in Bellport. Sophomore Samantha Kapitansky scored three runs, Fong drove in a pair, and freshman courtesy runner Kayela Heaney and sophomores Kayla Indich and Bella Parzych all scored twice as Kennedy advanced to play Clarence in a state semifinal next Friday at 3 p.m. at the same location.

“We started strong and Lia was incredible,” Kennedy coach Krista Thorn said. “We got a little scouting in, but these girls have been learning things on the fly all season long and they’re extremely coachable. It’s been an awesome ride with them.”

Kennedy, which outlasted MacArthur to capture its first county crown in program history, hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any postseason game. West Islip’s lone run came in the bottom of the seventh on an error.

The Cougars led 4-0 with only one out gone in the first. They manufactured runs to perfection via small-ball as Kapitansky, Parzych and senior Olivia Toto all executed bunt singles. Coupled with a few Lions’ errors, Fong had all the support she’d need.

“This is so awesome,” said Fong, who was doused with water during the celebration after Toto recorded the final out on a grounder to third base. “We were well prepared always work our hardest,” she added. “We knew they were a solid team and it was nice to get that early lead.”

Fong doubled with one out in the third and Toto singled Heaney home for a 5-0 lead. Fong, who scattered five hits and walked only two, then struck out the side again in the bottom of the frame and did so again in the fifth after she and Toto hit sacrifice flies to up the lead to 7-0.

“In a game like this with the Long Island championship and your season on the line, you never want to let off the gas,” Thorn said. “The girls just stayed focused and took it one inning at a time.”

Kennedy (14-10) padded its lead in its final at-bat. Indich walked, Kapitansky singled, Fong doubled and senior Jamie Pellegrino singled to produce three more runs.

“I think any nerves we had today went away after the first inning,” Parzych said. “We didn’t start off too great this season, but we’ve been building and building and became a family.”